Tuesday, 5 February 2013

I was prompted by Testosterhome's delight in the morning sunrise to recall (if only to myself!) what beauty I notice all around me. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago. I had to stop my journey for the first one and get out the car. I just felt I had to.

It's hard to concentrate when God is doing Hisstuffall around you.

Even today, we had our first real 'heavy snow' (BBC Weather forecast definition), which was both thrilling and frightening (my car nearly didn't stop on an ungritted road). Then it had almost all melted by 3 in the afternoon. God turned that West of Scotland Temperature Gauge up just a notch or two and wiped away His work: just a little fun for the children, a reminder of the season, a brief re-appreciation of the milder weather. It had it's purpose for each person. Two immense books illustrated this small point in passing.
Firstly, in the Diary of St.Faustina God uses the weather to effect the changes He desired in His divine plan for her (para.64). A planned trip had to be postponed, as Our Lord had assured her, due to a very sudden change in weather. Secondly, there is a story I had remembered from one of my readings of Story of a Soul by St.Therese, the Little Flower, and Doctor of the Catholic Church. Here it is recounted by an EWTN article:

Snow had always had a particular attraction for Teresa. She was born amid the
snow of winter. She had a great desire to see the earth clad in white on the day
of her Clothing. But the extreme mildness of the day made it seem impossible. On
re-entering the cloister after the ceremony she found it covered with snow. Ever
after, this was referred to as the little miracle.

A Rolf Harris Magic Brush Christmas present of mine circa 1980

It was January, but faith sees the hand of God. However, it is the improbability of snowexisting at all that excites me. I am to be persuaded by the world that we are here by chance, that there is no explanation. We just are. What?? When surrounded by such wonders I feel surrounded by God's Love. It's such a benign, non-intrusive, respectful-of-freedom Love. But He draws me to Himself.
And it's great to know I'm not alone on that path. Others are looking up in awe and wondering. They wonder at God, the artist who need only think to create. Here we see more than just something of the artist in his work, we are enveloped in His Love.

Rolf Harris

But, to follow the theme in the Testosterhome post, does God the artist resemble the artistic hero of British childhood?

About Me

I'm a very happily married man, with five and a half children, four and a half sons and a daughter. One of my sons is very special and goes to a school that can handle just how special he is.
He is a son-and-a-half in the nicest possible way.
I'm also a Catholic primary teacher in Scotland and my wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. She's really a rock star's wife so I don't know what happened there. Nevertheless, I know I can often see the glass half empty so I hope this blog provides a bit of balance for me and whoever reads it. We are all children of a Good God after all.